Storage levels at 5-year high

Thursday 12 August 2010

If recent wintry weather has damped your spirits, take comfort in the news that Geelong's water storages are in their best shape since 2005.

Almost 100 mm was recorded at the West Barwon Reservoir in the Otway Ranges yesterday, the catchment's biggest daily rainfall event in over 5 years, boosting the reservoir level by 5 percentage points.

Combined with above-average flows in the Moorabool catchment, the recent rain has added around 5 billion litres to our combined storages, and is a valuable boost for our parched rivers and creeks. With more rain forecast for the weekend and our catchments damp, further inflows are expected next week.

Yesterday's rain pushed totals above the monthly average for West Barwon Reservoir. The August average is 144 mm. Already, 166 mm has been recorded for the month.